By Tashieka Mair, Star Writer

western bureau:

Just four months after he was spared a custodial sentence for stealing grocery and house-hold items from a car, homeless St. James man Richard Myrie was back before the court to answer to a similar charge.

Myrie is charged with malicious destruction of property and attempted larceny after he allegedly broke the complainant's car window and tried to steal his 25lb cylinder of gas. He pleaded guilty to the malicious destruction charge in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday.

In maintaining his innocence on the attempted larceny charge, he told RM Wilson Smith that he did not intentionally break the window.

"Mi and a man did ah war and mi fling a stone after him an it bruk the glass. Mi neva did a try tief no gas," he explained.

The facts outlined are that the complainant parked his car on Lawrence Lane in Montego Bay and went to conduct business. On his return, he allegedly saw the accused man with his upper body inside the rear of vehicle and observed that the window was broken.

The complainant also observed that Myrie was reportedly in the section of the vehicle where he had a cylinder of gas.

Myrie was remanded and the judge requested to see his police records before handing down his sentence on September 27. The attempted larceny charge was withdrawn.